Russian air defences intercept four MLRS rockets, two drones above Belgorod

Russian air defences shot down four rockets launched from a Czech-made Vampire multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) and two drones above the borderline Russian region of Belgorod, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

"Yet another attempt by the Kyiv regime to attack targets on the territory of the Russian Federation was thwarted this morning. The attack involved an RM-70 Vampire multiple-launch rocket system and fixed-wing drones. On-duty air defences destroyed four MLRS rockets and two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles above the territory of the Belgorod Region," the ministry said in a message, TASS reports.

The region’s Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on his Telegram channel earlier in the day that a few more aerial targets were shot down above Belgorod in the early hours of January 17. No casualties were reported, although minor damage from falling fragments was reported on the ground.

The Belgorod City Hall said on its Telegram channel that a missile alert, issued in the region, was cancelled.